ABSTRACT It is increasingly recognized that research-practice partnerships (RPP) can help address complex social problems, such as issues that intersect family homelessness and students’ educational experiences. While there is synergy in working together, cross-sector collaboration can be challenging. We used a brief online assessment tool to monitor progress during the early stages of our homelessness prevention RPP work and the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that, while participation diminished over time, results from three waves of data collection pointed to areas of success to celebrate and opportunities for growth to collectively address. We did not aim for generalizability, but our experiences are relevant to other researchers and practitioners engaging in homelessness prevention and other RPPs. Assessment using a brief survey tool can facilitate partnership during the early stages of collaboration in research-practice settings, including at the intersection of housing and education.

ABSTRACT Historically, Black American communities were forged through the United States’ (US) racially exclusive housing policies and practices. Consequently, some Black residents” place identity may be inseparable from their racial identity. Black communities have increasingly faced gentrification, which has led to neighborhoods‘ historic identity erasure and longstanding Black residents’ social and cultural displacement. Social and cultural displacement is related to place identity as it may disrupt residents” sense of place or lead to resistance. However, the gentrification literature lacks an empirically tested theoretical model of this social phenomenon. This article empirically tests Davis et al.’s (2023) Theoretical Model of Social and Cultural Displacement and Place Identity, a model that explains factors and experiences associated with gentrification-induced social and cultural displacement. The findings from the present study inform collective social action and community-centered resistance efforts against social and cultural displacement.

ABSTRACT Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) immigrant caregivers of children with disabilities experience multiple compounding vulnerabilities, particularly to accessing high quality of care and support. This article illustrates a community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative led by a grassroots coalition of immigrant caregivers of children with disabilities, advocates, interpreters, and researchers. The study examines multilevel health promoting and hindering factors to CLD immigrant mothers of children with disabilities using participatory, empowerment, and multilingual processes employed by the coalition in the form of a three-session virtual family institute. Focus groups with immigrant mothers’ speakers of Spanish (n = 3), Portuguese (n = 3), and Chinese (n = 2) were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and concept mapping. Findings highlight specific multilevel factors that support and hinder CLD immigrant caregivers’ health and wellbeing. Additionally, participatory action research approaches in partnership with CLD immigrant caregivers can lead to enhanced linguistically and culturally responsive engagement practices, healthcare services, and family engagement.

ABSTRACT A collaboration between a theatre company, a university and eight community organizations culminated in an applied theatre project entitled “Living Below the Line.” Residents living with poverty were invited to become co-creators of a new play, which was performed in five local venues. The project’s objectives were 1) the provision of a respectful, supportive, empowering and creative process for the co-creators, and 2) increased understanding of the effects of poverty for audience members and the larger community. This paper reports the findings of the evaluation, which indicate that the objectives were met in several ways: 1) the co-creators felt uplifted by the support of their colleagues and the positive response from the community; 2) they felt their stories of lived experience were respected, and they appreciated the opportunity to learn new skills; 3) the audiences reported increased awareness and understanding of the issues leading to poverty while being simultaneously deeply moved and entertained. Analysis of the findings indicate that skillful management of the ethical issues and sensitive accommodation of the co-creators’ physical, mental and emotional challenges were key to the success of the project.

ABSTRACT Intergenerational programs help people from multiple generations share their talents and build healthy social relationships. As a part of an age-friendly community initiative in a small community in the Northeast, a multi-year intergenerational event was undertaken through a partnership between community agencies, including the local Office for Aging, a university, a high school, a senior center, and a church. As part of this interorganizational collaboration, the Senior to Senior Dinner Dance Project was held in May of 2022 and May of 2023, with local high-school students and older adults participating in a variety of intergenerational activities. A process evaluation, using data from focus groups with community partners and qualitative survey responses from older adult participants, revealed the following themes under the guidance of Carpiano’s social capital framework: 1) structural antecedents, including the New York State age-friendly initiative and community schools; 2) social cohesion, through familiarity and mutual trust among community stakeholders; 3) social capital, achieved by leveraging existing resources in pursuit of collective interorganizational goals; and 4) social capital outcomes, including on both the individual and community level. Findings from this project offer insights for future interorganizational collaborations, including those seeking to build intergenerational communities with sustainable social capital.

ABSTRACT Community engagement programmes aim to promote inclusive development, address marginalization, and enhance social equity, especially in contexts with historical inequalities. However, their outcomes vary from case to case. This study explores the perceptions of members and key informants of the benefits and barriers of community engagement programmes in Bheri municipality, Jajarkot District, Nepal. Primary data were collected through 14 interviews with key informants and a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 448 households. Perceptions of the benefits and barriers of community engagement were obtained by ranking participants’ level of agreement on the benefits of community engagement, with elite capture, insufficient monitoring, and lack of expertise as possible barriers. The author employed critical phenomenological methods for qualitative data analysis and descriptive analysis tools for quantitative data. The interviews with key informants indicated that the community engagement programmes are beneficial for community group members, providing them with access to expert services, financial and material subsidies, entrepreneurial skills, inspiration, and health education. However, perceptions of the benefits of engagement were found to be unequal among community members, with barriers such as elite capture, insufficient monitoring, and lack of expertise perceived to be embedded in community engagement programmes. Enhancing the benefits of these programmes requires the mitigation of barriers and the increased awareness and understanding of community members.

ABSTRACT This article investigates the alliances between feminism and labor and explores the potential of unions to challenge neoliberalism in the context of the violence against women (VAW) shelter movement. Theoretically informed by feminist political economy and methodologically driven by interviews, this article examines how new alliances are reshaping and redefining the VAW and the labor movement and reflects on potential uniting factors and the role of solidarity in fostering healthier and more impactful workplaces and movements. The findings center on three key themes that emerged from the analysis, including the challenges and tensions between movements, finding common ground, and the possibilities and implications for future collaborations.

ABSTRACT Community-based organizations (CBOs) provide important health programs and services to underserved populations, but may face challenges in engaging the community. This study contextualizes these challenges through a practical participatory evaluation of a community health program with dwindling participation. This study utilized a qualitative approach i) explore conceptualizations of health among community members and ii) evaluate the program’s effectiveness with attention to the motivations and deterrents of community members’ participation. A thematic analysis of 11 in-depth interviews and one focus group found community members’ enactment of agency was steeped in subjective health meanings. Furthermore, affordability and participants’ need for community constituted motivations for participation while reasons for disengagement included changes to the organization’s core demographic, organizational transitions, structural barriers to access and limitations in organizational capacity. Based on our findings, we outline recommendations relevant to CBOs in similar contexts in the United States.